Fundamentals of Structural Geology (Hardcover)

by David D. Pollard (Author), Raymond C. Fletcher (Author)
Key Phrases: traction ellipsoid, main joint surface, dike plane, Henry Mountains, Hooke's Law, Chimney Rock (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
'Pollard and Fletcher have produced an authoritative textbook for 21st Century structural geologists. Fundamentals of Structural Geology comprehensively sets out the mathematics, physics and continuum mechanics that govern the deformation of rocks. This book is excellent value, combining classical and modern science with the authors' own research specialities, to illustrate the application of complete mechanics to structural geology. It will be a 'must' for all geoscientists who wish to model the Earth's deformation.' Sue Treagus, University of Manchester

'This is the best book on structural geology in a long time. In the way that characterizes their research work, Pollard and Fletcher lay out the physical concepts and tools needed to understand the structure-making processes and give many examples of their use. If you have any interest at all in the subject read this book. You'll be glad you did.' Don Ragan, Arizona State University

'This refreshingly quantitative book bridges the gap between higher-level continuum mechanics texts, with little emphasis on earth science problems, and introductory texts in structural geology, traditionally emphasizing observations. The approach taken by Pollard and Fletcher finds a balance between quantitative description and mechanical hypothesis testing. This book deserves a place in the working library of any structural geologist.' David Wiltschko, Texas A&M University

'Graduate students and research geologists, in particular, will find it a clear and reliable source of good practice and good sense on quantitative structural geology.' Geological Magazine

'The authors have taken the opportunity to educate using multimedia, and the Website provides a comprehensive addition to the material in the book, including full colour images of the photographs in the text ... the Website is easy to navigate and use and provides further links to useful sources of information. this package provides an ideal method to gain a better understanding of the mechanics of structural geology.' Open University Geological Society Journal

Product Description
Fundamentals of Structural Geology provides a new framework for the investigation of geological structures by integrating field mapping and mechanical analysis. Assuming a basic knowledge of physical geology, introductory calculus and physics, it emphasizes the observational data, modern mapping technology, principles of continuum mechanics, and the mathematical and computational skills, necessary to quantitatively map, describe, model, and explain deformation in Earth's lithosphere. By starting from the fundamental conservation laws of mass and momentum, the constitutive laws of material behavior, and the kinematic relationships for strain and rate of deformation, the authors demonstrate the relevance of solid and fluid mechanics to structural geology. This book offers a modern quantitative approach to structural geology for advanced students and researchers in structural geology and tectonics. It is supported by a website hosting images from the book, additional colour images, student exercises and MATLAB scripts. Solutions to the exercises are available to instructors.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (September 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521839270
• ISBN-13: 978-0521839273
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #367,298 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars On the physics and mathematics of the structural geology, April 29, 2008

By	José A. Álvarez-Gómez (Madrid, Spain) - See all my reviews

Instead of the classical approximation to the structural geology (field descriptions, geometrical classifications, etc.) the book tackles the issue from a numerical and "physical" point of view. Although the numerical approximation to the structural geology is not straightforward, the text is exhaustive in the explanations of the more complex concepts and mathematical foundations, and is accompanied by good self explanatory figures. The authors share in a web complementary material as exercises and Matlab codes.

I strongly recommend this book to everyone planning to use mathematical tools and programming in relation with the structural geology. It should be very helpful too as textbook for the physical fundamentals of the elastic mechanics, stress and strain tensors, etc.

If you are looking for an all-in-one book of structural geology to use as support for your studies or basic research... keep searching.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good book for what it is, March 27, 2006

By	Tachy Pseudolyte - See all my reviews

Excellent book for the modeler when approaching structural geology, however the amount of classical structural geology in the book is strikingly sparse. If you are looking for a textbook that balances the two, you should probably look elsewhere.